The City’s Transport Authority scooped an award and two commendation certificates for two projects at the prestigious Fulton Awards gala function held in Johannesburg on Friday, 10 June. 

The Fulton Awards are hosted every two years, a celebration of the Southern African concrete construction industry to recognise and honour excellence in the design, use and innovation in concrete.

The EThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) brought home an award for the infrastructure of under R100 million category for the Umhlatuzana River Bridge Modification and two commendation certificates for Essex Terrace / M13 Bridge Modification for the categories: infrastructure of under R100 million and innovation and invention in concrete. 

For the Umhlatuzana River Bridge project, the judges applauded the team for, “the unique solution that overcame extensive challenges to save a large part of the bridge while causing limited damage to the existing habitat”. The road bridge (links Seaward Road in Clairwood with Sarnia in Pinetown) was severely damaged during the 2019 KwaZulu Natal floods. 

The Essex Terrace / M13 Bridge infrastructure improvement project was triggered by the significant urban development in the neighbourhood which necessitated additional lane capacity through the surrounding interchange. 

In their citation the judges indicated that, “This project used several experimental solutions to support a design rationale that directly addressed sustainability concerns. It also involved some boldly progressive and effective responses to the aesthetic challenges associated with modification of an existing structure”. 

Head of ETA, Thami Manyathi said, “We are thrilled with the accolades awarded to our team. Winning awards of such caliber is testimony that we have some of the best engineering experts in our team. So much creativity and technical thinking goes into coming up with the best engineering solutions for projects of this nature. It is delightful that their hard work is recognized and honoured”. 

An exciting addition was the announcement of the 2022 winners of the Fulton Awards being entered in the American Concrete Institute’s Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards, as the projects compare favorably world class projects. The annual awards gala, with announcement of winners, will be held in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, October 24, 2022.

eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) along with other City departments tapped into the Operation Good Hope initiative, focused on the cleanliness of taxi rank facilities to improve the service offering by the taxi industry and service attractiveness for the commuters. The campaign runs from 7– 11 March.

Operation Good Hope is an ongoing programme that was initiated to address backlog and service delivery issues, particularly in CBDs, secondary CBDs, and townships around the City.

Coordinated by Area Based Management Unit (ABM), the clean-up team includes, ETA, South African National Taxi Association (SANTACO), Durban Solid Waste (DSW), Electricity Department, Parks and Recreation, Roads and Stormwater and Metro Police joined hands and dedicated two days of the Pinetown operation to cleaning Taxi ranks.

With a key focus of ensuring cleanliness of taxi ranks, clean-up operations included, unblocking storm water drains, high pressure cleaning, litter picking, street sweeping, cleaning of ablution and weed removal. Additionally, municipal by-law compliance checks were conducted with traders operating in taxi ranks.

ETA Head, Thami Manyathi said the joint venture with Operation Good Hope came about after engagements with SANTACO aimed at addressing public transport issues. “After an in-depth inspection between our officials and SANTACO assessing challenges faced by taxi operators and commuters this clean-up operation was one of our responses. The clean-up is in addition to the standard continuous cleaning conducted by the ETA.

This is not a first for ETA, we conducted a clean-up operation in Pinetown late last year and we envisage to do more to ensure safe and clean spaces for our commuters. Furthermore, in an effort of creating an improved overall public transport system and responding to the needs on the ground, we are adjusting our public transport plan to ensure that challenges raised by our stakeholders are addressed,” said Manyathi. SANTACO’s Durban West Region representative Petros Shezi said, “We are pleased that the City is addressing our needs on the ground by keeping the rank facilities clean. Feedback from our commuters has been positive and their experience has improved. We hope to continue working together with the municipality in improving our public transport. We also urge our commuters to do their bit and keep the facilities clean”.

The GO!Durban Cycle Academy in KwaDabeka has been revamped with a piece of art thanks to a coach with many talents.

“When an opportunity arose to decorate the class, I took it. It also put me to the test personally because I have not done art in a long time. Once I received the brief, I explored my creativity as an artist and when the mural turned out so well, I gave myself a pat on the back,” he said.

The mural is inspired by the environment in the Academy and its surroundings. This includes the pump track, Dumisani Makhaye Bridge, uMgeni River and the mountains and lush fields.

“Management were impressed with my work and there is a possibility of painting murals in classrooms at the three other cycle academies. I enjoy being part of the Academy as there is a holistic programme on site for kids, focusing on their development and wellness as a whole,” he said.

The Academy was launched in 2016 as a joint initiative between eThekwini Transport Authority and Green Corridors.

In addition to youth and sports development, the GO!Durban Cycle Academy bike parks protect and  maintain valuable green spaces throughout the metropole – a further testament to the efforts of all partners involved to achieve a more sustainable and liveable City in line with the National Development Plan 2030 vision.

We have relocated from 174 Florida Road, Morningside to new offices located at the Midway Crossing Shopping Centre in Newlands West, opposite the GO!Durban Westrich Station.

Our contact details can be found here or email info@godurban.local:8890

Businesses in the area interested in sub-contracting opportunities are encouraged to submit their business profiles along with the documents listed below by 4 March 2022 for sub-contracting opportunities.

• CIPC – Company registration document
• BBBEE Certificate
• Valid letter of good standing from SARS
• Tax Clearance Certificate from SARS
• CIBD (if applicable)
• Proof of company address
• Identification document
• Valid letter of good standing (COID)
• Verification letter from your Ward Councillor confirming that your business
is based in their ward.

SUBMISSIONS ARE TO BE HAND DELIVERED TO THE DEV TECH SITE OFFICE AT:

10 Ebonyfield Avenue
Springfield Park
Durban